1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to dispensing apparatuses and more particularly to a machine that is designed to dispense beverage containers that contain a non-carbonated, fruit drink that is blended with ice crystals.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Dispensing machines for beverage containers, such as cans and bottles, have long been known. A typical type of dispensed beverage container is a container that contains a carbonated drink. A typical dispensing apparatus requires a user to insert money into the dispensing apparatus, make an appropriate selection of a type of beverage container that is to be selected from a grouping of different types of beverage containers, and this selected beverage container is then dispensed to a location which is accessible exteriorly of the apparatus so that the dispensed container can be removed from the apparatus unsealed and the contents consumed.
Within recent years, there has been another form of beverage that is experiencing a reasonable degree of acceptance by the population. This form of beverage is a fruit juice or fruit drink that is blended with crushed ice. If the fruit drink includes yogurt or ice cream, it is termed a smoothie. A smoothie is non-carbonated and generally contains fruit or a mixture of different fruits that are pulverized to almost a liquid form which is served at a freezing temperature to include ice crystals. At times, a smoothie may also include powdery supplements. For purposes of this invention, the term smoothie is to refer to any non-carbonated fruit or fruit juice beverage that includes ice crystals. The normal method of preparing a smoothee is to place the ingredients within a blender and blend the ingredients for a few seconds which results in the ice being pulverized and evenly dispersed throughout the ingredients. The blended ingredients are then poured into consuming containers, such as a glass or cup, and the contents then consumed by the consumer.
Prior to the present invention, it has not been known to utilize any form of self-dispensing apparatus for a smoothie beverage. One reason why such a dispensing apparatus has not been known is that the overall temperature of the beverage container must be less than thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit in order to form ice crystals within the beverage. Normal dispensing machines lower the temperatures of the carbonated beverages to between thirty-five and forty-five degrees Fahrenheit which is above the freezing temperature of thirty-two degrees. In order for a smoothie to contain ice crystals, the smoothie must be at a temperature below thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit. Secondly, the dispensed smoothie beverage must be shaken in order to evenly disperse the ingredients and especially evenly disperse the ice crystals within the beverage. In a normal dispensing machine for carbonated beverages, it would be absolutely the worst thing to do to cause shaking of the beverage for the reason that as soon as the beverage container was dispensed and opened, it would literally explode.